This invention relates to water heaters, particularly to electric water heaters having an electronic control system.
Typical electric water heaters are constructed with one or two electric-powered heating elements to heat water in the water tank, depending on the size and utilization of the water heater. Each element is ordinarily mounted onto a side wall of the tank. Further, in designs incorporating two elements, the elements are typically mounted onto the tank at spaced separation from one another. There are a number of disadvantages associated with such constructions. Many electric water heaters are not energy efficient and accordingly are expensive to operate. Some electric water heaters attempt to provide for more efficient operation, however, these devices are either complex in design or are difficult to implement.
This invention has been developed in view of the foregoing to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.
In one aspect, the water heater includes a water container; at least one element located to heat water in the water container; at least one sensor located to sense temperature of the water; and a controller operating the at least one element based on a comparison of the sensed temperature and a control temperature.
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is a water heater that includes a water container; a pair of elements located to heat water in the water container; a pair of sensors located to sense temperature of water in the water container; and a controller comparing temperature information received from each of the respective sensors against a control temperature to determine element operation.
Other advantages of the various embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the drawings, the detailed description of the invention and the appended claims.